Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

तं देवाः सूदयिष्यंति उपायैः सामपूर्वकैः । त्रैलोक्यकण्टको यद्वत्तस्य भ्राता दशाननः

Transliteration

taṃ devāḥ sūdayiṣyaṃti upāyaiḥ sāmapūrvakaiḥ | trailokyakaṇṭako yadvattasya bhrātā daśānanaḥ

Translation

ദേവന്മാർ സാമം മുതലായ ഉപായങ്ങളാൽ അവനെ സംഹരിക്കും—ത്രൈലോക്യകണ്ടകനായ അവന്റെ സഹോദരൻ ദശാനനനെ എങ്ങനെ നശിപ്പിച്ചുവോ അതുപോലെ।

Word by Word

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम-रूपम् (him/that one as object)

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• सूदयिष्यन्ति: will kill / will slay
• सूदयिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सूदय् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकारः (भविष्यत्कालः), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• उपायैः: by means
• उपायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), बहुवचनम्

• सामपूर्वकैः: preceded by conciliation (sāma)
• सामपूर्वकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: साम + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (उपायैः इति विशेष्यस्य)

• त्रैलोक्यकण्टकः: the thorn of the three worlds (a scourge)
• त्रैलोक्यकण्टकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य + कण्टक (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• यद्वत्: just as
• यद्वत्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद्वत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उपमानार्थक-निपातः (as/just as)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (सम्बन्ध), एकवचनम्

• भ्राता: brother
• भ्राता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• दशाननः: Daśānana (ten-faced, Rāvaṇa)
• दशाननः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश + आनन (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (दश आननानि यस्य सः)

Speaker

Rāma (continuation of his reasoning)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine council scene: devas in assembly, a looming shadowy figure symbolizing a ‘thorn to the three worlds,’ with a remembered silhouette of ten-headed Rāvaṇa as precedent; the mood is strategic, not celebratory.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Daśānana (Rāvaṇa)
• Three worlds (trailokya)
• Vibhīṣaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma brings inevitable correction; even divine governance uses graded means (sāma and other upāyas) to restore order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse uses Rāvaṇa’s example as a moral reference.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse discusses upāyas (methods) rather than rites.